We're The Ones
by IceWarrior13
Summary: A low-life thief seeking a new start. An outcast seeking acceptance. A delinquent seeking forgiveness. An isolated soul seeking someone to understand her. A twist in fate, a change in reality, a brand-new adventure.
1. Prologue

**ES**

 ** _I'm the one_**

 ** _Who rose out of filth, and was loved by no one!_**

A mysterious figure stood in an alleyway, leaning against an old building coated in graffiti.

She was a dark-skinned teenage girl (around seventeen) with short, layered, mint-green hair with two long tails trailing down her back. Her large eyes were as red as blood.

The girl wore a white top and olive undershirt (her emblem, a cut gem, on the back), white pants and brown chaps that ended at her calves, and an brown overlong-belt (twice-wrapped, where she kept her sheathed weapons as well as a single pouch). She also wore two silver-colored rings on her middle fingers as well as a pair of high-heeled shoes. A silver, three-ring armband rested on her left arm and a string of silver beads near the same wrist.

The girl was filing her nails with the blade of a kurigusama, gazing almost-boredly at her hands.

That's when the sirens blared, and the girl looked up with a smirk.

The weapons in her hands morphed into pistols, and the girl climbed a fire-escape, running across a rooftop.

She came to an edge to find a group of policemen aiming their guns at her, several more coming up behind her.

"Emerald Sustrai." An officer glared. "You are under arrest for theft in all four kingdoms... Come quietly."

Emerald looked back, still smirking as her grip on her pistols tightened.

"Sorry, officer... But what's the fun in that?"

"Don't-!" It was too late. Emerald whipped out her green pistols and shot each police-officer in the chest with (nonlethal) Dust-rounds.

Then, she leapt down, dodging bullets as she got in a police-car and started driving away.

A small smile crossed her lips, despite all the sirens behind her.

"I've always wanted to do this." Emerald grinned, then smirked deviously as she turned a sharp corner and sent her pursuers crashing into a repair-shop. "And that!"

As she drove off, Emerald's smirk became a small frown, and she sighed, shaking her head.

Was she disappointed in herself?

Once she was out of the city, she pulled over and rested her head on the steering-wheel, closing her eyes.

Emerald looked up, then got out of the car and walked away into the great unknown, hips swaying and facing away as she was silhouetted against a full moon.

...

 _Four boxes with silhouettes are shown: green, red, grey, and pink._

 _The first one lights up, showing a smirking Emerald with her kurigusama chain twirled around her, her kurigusama-blades in her hands._

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **AT**

 ** _I'm the one..!_**

 ** _I'll race with your eyes, and you'll never outrun!_**

A young man looked down on a rock in the Forest of Forever Fall, sighing as he polished a red blade.

He had red hair that spiked backwards in a windswept way, mostly red with a portion in the back brown. A bull-horn was visible amongst the hair on both sides of his head.

He wore a mask that obscured his eyes and upper face. This mask was whitish-tan with red, Japanese-style, flame-like symbols decorating the front and two slits on each side to allow for vision. It gave him the appearance of a Grimm.

The boy wore a long-sleeved black trench coat with slit sleeves and more red designs and a white symbol on the left side, red on the inside with red flame-like accents at the bottom and a large emblem on the back: Wilt.

He wore long black pants and black shoes (red on the bottom), and black gloves with more red emblems on their forehand, appearing to be a variant of the Ω (Omega).

He also wore a black belt with white domino-marks on it, and that belt currently held the shot-gun sheath (Blush) for his blade (Wilt).

"Adam?" A voice asked. This got the boy's attention.

"Huh?" The boy looked up to see a young woman.

She wore a white v-neck, zip-up shirt that was black along the bottom and had mid-length sleeves. A belladonna-flower emblem was printed in off-white on the left side of the shirt.

She wore black pants that had a vertical gray stripe on the outer side of each leg, and a black belt.

Attached to the inner side of the belt was a black, somewhat-curved, banner-like piece of fabric that hung from the back and extended forward to her hips. On the underside of this was a thinner, longer, similarly-shaped purple piece of fabric.

Her black high-heel boots came halfway up her calves and had a pair of belted straps across them.

She wore black ribbons on her arms, and two black cat-ears peered over wavy black hair.

Her eyes and upper-half of her face was hidden by a silver mask with ornate black, silver, red, and gold details, two slits over each eye.

"It's time." The woman announced. Adam sighed, shaking his head and standing up, walking over to the girl who seemed tiny in comparison to him.

"Fine."

 ** _/\_**

The two Faunus ran through the woods, ending up on a cliff overlooking some train-tracks.

They leapt down as a train passed, Adam driving his blade into the train-car as his partner landed gracefully.

They ran across the top of said train-car, Adam shooting the lock on the roof-entrance, opening it so he and his partner could leapt in.

"Looks like we're going to be doing this the hard way." Adam frowned as several Atlesian Knights looked up, grip tightening on Wilt's hilt. His partner smirked, unsheathing her black blade, Gambol Shroud.

"Don't be so dramatic." She insisted, then changed the blade into a gun. "Duck." Her partner obeyed, and the cat-Faunus fired shots into several Knight's heads, whipping the bladed gun around on a ribbon to tear several more apart. Adam joined in, slicing and dicing the androids with Wilt, occasionally firing at them with Blush.

They had practiced these maneuvers many times before, and they worked well as a team.

Finally, all of the Knights were destroyed, and they moved on.

 ** _/\_**

After battling more Knights, the two Faunus arrived in a car full of Dust labeled Schnee Dust Company.

"Perfect." The cat-girl smiled cruelly. "I'll head to the next car. Set plenty of charges here, then catch up."

"Wait, what about the crew?" Adam asked, frowning slightly. He knew that many were human, but there were also many Faunus workers.

They'd all be killed in the blast unless they were evacuated.

The girl gave Adam a mildly confused look, resting a hand on her hip.

"What about them?" She asked. Adam took a slight step back, surprised by the merciless cruelty in his once-innocent pupil's voice.

This was not the girl he knew. This was a monster.

How had he not seen it?

That's when a huge Spider-Mech crawled down from the ceiling, aiming its weapons at the Faunus.

"Blake, we've got to go!" Adam shouted, but the cat-Faunus charged anyway, leaping up and slashing at the machine with Gambol Shroud.

The metal-beast finally knocked Blake back, leaving her recovering on the ground.

Adam immediately tried to step in, only to get hit into some crates. He barely managed to run forward and scoop Blake up bridal-style before she was crushed by the Spider-Mech.

"Maybe you're right." Blake admitted, sliding out of his arms. However, it was too late for that. Adam shielded Blake with his own body as the Spider-Mech fired its weapons, throwing them out of the car. As they recovered, Blake looked over. "I'll buy time! _Moonslice_!"

"Are you sure?!"

"Yes!"

Blake ran forward as Adam started glowing red, firing at the Spider-Mech and landing some pretty good hits with Gambol Shroud.

"Move!"

Blake got out of the way as the Mech fired, Adam absorbing the energy into Wilt, chuckling.

Then, he sliced with his glowing red blade, the Spider-Mech being reduced to rose-petals and the shockwave throwing Blake back.

As Adam turned, he sighed and shook his head...

Blake looked up, standing and brushing herself off.

Then, she noticed her partner standing on another train-car.

"Adam?" The young woman raised her hand. Adam looked back at her, then removed his mask, revealing forlorn red eyes.

"I'm sorry." The bull-Faunus shot the link between the train cars, saving the crew-members and severing all ties with his partner.

His black shape stood out against a forest of red, the slightly-shattered moon still visible in the early-morning sky.

...

 _Four boxes with silhouettes are shown: green, red, grey, and pink._

 _Emerald's green one lights up._

 _The second one lights up, revealing a snarling Adam slashing his blade, red leaves all around him with half of his mask broken off, the other half still on._

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **MB**

 ** _I'm the one_**

 ** _That was born in a nightmare, a murderer's son!_**

A boy with messy grey hair and grey eyes leaned against a kitchen wall of a small house, glaring at the floor.

He wore a gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket that covered his upper body a single notched belt with what appeared to be a sash or bandana draped over it (bearing his emblem, a boot with wings on the back), sets rerebraces and vambraces on his arms, orange and black pants, and black boots.

He tapped one foot impatiently, like he was waiting for something.

Or, as the sound of a door opening and closing was heard, someone.

The boy watched silently as a man dressed in red and black with white hair passed, then attacked.

A sweeping kick sent the mysterious man flying into the stove.

"Mercury?" The man asked. He was obviously drunk. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What I should have done a long, long time ago." The boy growled, getting into a fighting stance. The man stumbled as he got to his feet, then mimicked the fighting stance.

The two men lunged at each other, exchanging strikes and kicks faster than most people's eyes could track.

The house caught on fire due to the two fighters knocking a lantern over, and they lose their sight in the smoke.

The older man finally kicked Mercury hard enough to send him flying through a window, landing in some grass.

Mercury leapt to his feet just as the man lunged through the window, looking like the spawn of Hell as the fire from the house wreathed around him.

Mercury's eyes widened with fear, and he took a slight step back. Then, his eyes narrowed, and he performed a spinning kick.

 ** _/\_**

Mercury stepped past the man, who lying on the ground, and he briefly looked back at him.

"Goodbye, _Father_." The boy spat. Then, he turned and walked away, the shattered moon glowing above him.

...

 _Four boxes with silhouettes are shown: green, red, grey, and pink._

 _Emerald's lights up._

 _Adam's lights up._

 _The third lights up, revealing a glaring Mercury as he performs a spinning-kick._

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **NR**

 ** _I'm the one_**

 ** _That was ripped from the earth and exposed to the sun!_**

" _Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! I would like to humbly announce the arrival of Remnant's greatest acrobat: Neopolitan Raffiné!_ "

A foot is placed on a tight-rope. Then, another.

Slow, methodical steps.

Nothing held her aloft.

One wrong move would send the brave acrobat falling to her doom in a pit of flaming Fire-Dust.

She was focused, completely concentrated, as she made her way across the rope.

The girl was strange-looking, no doubt about that.

Half of her long, wavy hair was brown, half of it pink with white streaks. One eye was brown, the other pink.

She wore a white jacket with a pink interior, brown pants, and gray boots with high heels. Under her jacket was a black corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wore a multitude of necklaces, which hung haphazardly around her neck.

She took a deep breath, silently reminding herself not to focus on the stares of the spellbound crowd.

That's when she noticed the rope fraying at the center of the tightrope.

Neopolitan's eyes widened.

Whether it was an accident or sabotage, she was in danger.

She wouldn't even be able to scream if she fell.

That's when Neopolitan finally quit the act, closing her umbrella.

The young girl started leaping, somersaulting through the air in an effort to make it to safety, performing cartwheels and landing with an almost-inhuman grace.

Finally, she made it to the other side, just before the rope snapped.

The crowd roared with applause, and Neopolitan took a bow. But her eyes narrowed as the smile became a frown.

 ** _/\_**

Neopolitan walked through the circus grounds that night, under the shattered moon, then paused. She waited, then spun around, a blade leaving her umbrella and impaling a would-be assassin: a clown.

The circus had turned against her.

"Neo, Neo, Neo..." A voice tsked. Neo turned as several performers left the shadows, glaring. The strong-man smirked. "Remnant's greatest acrobat. Tell me, how long did you expect to get away with stealing the spotlight from the rest of us, little girl?" Neo glared. "Oh right, you can't."

Neo ripped her blade from the clown and smirked, giving a playful bow as she opened her umbrella and rested it over her shoulder.

The other performers charged, and Neo shattered.

The girl reappeared behind the mob, and she slashed and killed a trapeze-acrobat and a clown.

Dodging the lion-tamer's whip, Neo flipped through the air and stabbed him.

Everyone else ran, leaving Neo and the strong-man.

' _You want me?_ ' Neo's smirk spoke for her. ' _Come and get me._ '

"Why, you little-!" The man charged and threw a punch, but Neo dodged and slashed, slicing his arm. The man tried again, only to receive slashes on his chest and face. He punched, but Neo shattered on contact. "I'll kill you, you bitch!"

Those were his last words, as Neo's blade sprouted from his chest. Neo ripped the blade out and sheathed it, sighing as the man's body collapsed.

Then, she turned and walked toward the sunrise.

...

 _Four boxes with silhouettes are shown: green, red, grey, and pink._

 _Emerald's lights up._

 _Adam's lights up._

 _Mercury's lights up._

 _The fourth lights up, revealing Neopolitan in a bow with her umbrella open behind her, smirking._

 _The screen lights up, revealing letters beneath each frame._

 _S_

 _A_

 _B_

 _R_

 _Team SABR has been revealed._

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

It was nighttime in the city of Vale, one Dust shop left open.

One old man worked at the counter, one customer browsing.

That's when they entered.

At first sight, they looked like trio of students from Beacon.

But...

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" The leader asked. A silver blade with a blue and gold hilt was raised to the old man's throat.

A silver and pink grenade-launcher and two green pistols followed, aimed for his torso and head.

The owner of the grenade launcher was an almost innocent-looking girl wearing a white and pink dress with light silver armor and a baby-blue bow, white fingerless-gloves on her hands and white sneakers on her feet. She had short orange hair, turquoise eyes, and a devious smirk lit up her face.

The owner of the green pistols was a boy dressed in green, black, cream, and gold with long black hair (adorned with a single pink streak) and cold, glaring magenta eyes.

The leader was a boy wearing jeans, a black/red hoodie, black fingerless-gloves, and sneakers under white armor. He was blonde with blue eyes, a cruel smirk on his face.

"Please, just take my Lien and leave!" The old man pleaded. The leader simply rolled his eyes.

"As much as I'd love to, I have a job... Grab the Dust."

The two others began looting the store, and the boy in green finally noticed the lone customer.

 ** _I'll run circles 'round ya, I can touch the sky!_**

 ** _I'm gonna make ya hurt, and I'm gonna make you cry!_**

 ** _You want to mess around? Well, come on! Let's go!_**

 ** _I got no time to waste, let's start the show!_**

The mysterious figure was a girl with dark skin and mint-green hair, dressed in white, brown, silver, and green.

"Put your hands in the air." The magenta-eyed boy raised his guns, failing to notice the white earbuds in the girl's ears as she examined a fashion magazine. "Hey, I said _hands in the air_! I'll give you one more chance-" The boy grabbed her shoulder, and the girl looked back.

She was around seventeen, with eyes as red as blood.

The boy gestured for her to remove her earbuds, and she obliged.

"Um..." The girl raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

"You've got until the count of three to put your hands in the air. One."

"Are you..?" The girl frowned. "Robbing me?"

"Yes! Two..."

"Three!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

The thief-leader and the girl watched as the boy in green was kicked through the shop window, and they turned to see the mysterious girl.

Said girl whipped two green pistols out and shot the pink-girl in the chest three times, sending her flying into the wall of the shop.

The two downed thieves were back on their feet in seconds, so the girl in green took the battle outside, morphing her guns into kurigusama-chains.

She threw one chain, wrapping it around the green-boy's waist, spinning around to spin him, throwing him into his pink-wearing partner.

As they got back to their feet and fired at the green-girl, the mysterious girl vanished.

"Where'd she go?" The girl in pink glared, and the boy in green looked around, confused.

That's when they were both hit in the back of the head, the girl reappearing behind them as they collapsed and wincing, raising a hand to her head.

"Headache." She groaned. "One mind I can handle, but two is a stretch..." The girl looked up to see the leader of the heist stepping out, sirens blaring as the blonde thief glared.

"Well... I admit, I was not expecting intervention from the great Emerald Sustrai. But, as much as I want to stick around and swap stories..." The boy raised an Ice-Dust crystal. "I'm afraid that this city's not big enough for two master-thieves."

The boy threw the crystal down and whipped out a handgun as it landed at Emerald's feet, firing.

The Dust exploded, Emerald barely dodging in time to escape an icy tomb, the boy vanishing.

Then, the girl noticed the blonde climbing a fire escape...

"You alright if I go after him?" Emerald asked the shopkeeper. The old man nodded, eyes wide.

 ** _/\_**

Emerald pulled herself onto the rooftop, glaring as the boy paused at the other side.

"I'm not done with you, yet!" Emerald spat, raising her guns. The boy didn't look back, but...

"Persistent." He commented, a Bullhead raising in front of him. Emerald watched as the boy boarded, chuckling darkly as he looked back at her. "End of the line, Sustrai!"

The boy threw a Fire-Dust crystal, firing his pistol, but a HUGE figure leapt in the way and deflected the blast.

The giant man covered in tattoos/scars and dressed in white and black, his eyes yellow and teeth pointed, raised a giant chainsaw, growling.

Then, he morphed the chainsaw into a bazooka and started rapidly firing at the Bullhead.

 ** _/\_**

The blonde thief stumbled into the cockpit.

"We've got a Huntsman!" He shouted, taking the wheel as a feminine figure dressed in red and gold got up and ran to the back.

 ** _/\_**

Emerald joined the Huntsman in firing at the ship, then both of of them dodged an array of glowing-black shrapnel being sent at them.

A figure in red and gold with vibrant green eyes stood in the back of the Bullhead, arms raised as metal shrapnel flew through the air, concentrating before flying at the heroes.

The two dodged again, then the figure launched a fire-blast.

While Emerald and the Huntsman were distracted, the Bullhead escaped into the night.

"So..." Emerald sighed, looking up at the Huntsman. "I'm guessing that I'm arrested?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Emerald sat at a metal table, resting her head in her palm and tapping her fingers on the table, rolling her eyes as the Huntsman paced.

" _Emerald Sustrai: wanted for petty-theft in all four kingdoms of Remnant. No activity in the last two months_... Just what do you think you were doing?! You may be a criminal, but you're a kid! Going up against those sort of people placed yourself in others in danger!"

"Hey, they would have robbed that shop and shot that old man if I hadn't done something!" Emerald finally snapped. "Lay off!"

"Hey, if it were up to me, you'd be in jail right now. So calm down, because unfortunately..." He paused as a pale figure stepped into the light, holding a large tray of sandwiches and a glass of water.

"Emerald Sustrai." A pale woman with white hair (styled in curls and raised spikes) and blazing red eyes dressed in black and dark purple gave a warm smile, the dress she wore making it appear as if she glided across the room to the metal table. "We meet at last."

"Y-you're Professor Salem Blair, from Beacon." Emerald stared. Salem nodded, then gestured to a scroll the Huntsmen was showing, depicting the fight from earlier.

"Your skills in battle are quite impressive, Ms. Sustrai... One must wonder how they were acquired."

"I-I've trained all over the world. I've picked up techniques on the streets, I study my opponents-"

"Your semblance must help."

"... Yeah."

"I thought so... You must be hungry." The pale woman set the tray and glass of water on the table. Emerald hesitated, then took a sandwich and bit into it. "While I agreed with Professor Banesaw in saying that what you did posed quite a risk, it was also very brave. It's exactly what I would expect from any of my students."

"Um... Thanks?"

"Now, what is a talented girl like you doing, getting by on petty theft when you could be doing something important with your life? Making a contribution?"

"Not like I could if I wanted to, with my track-record..."

"Hmm..." Salem smiled deviously,. "Your _track-record_..? Here is my deal, Ms. Sustrai: if you attend my school and I see significant strides in you attempting to turn your life around and become a Huntress, I will wipe your track-record. You will have a clean slate, a second-chance at life... If you don't, you face at least ten years in an Atlesian-prison for your crimes."

" _Atlesian_?" Emerald's eyes widened. "No one survives Atlesian-prison unscathed! I could be killed with either of those options!"

"Well..." Salem smirked. "Only one guarantees that for certain. The other guarantees you strength, freedom, friendship, and a chance."

"Like anyone would be friends with someone like me... Fine."

"I knew that you would see reason."

"This isn't exactly _reason_."

 ** _Okay, I know what you're thinking. I'm not crazy, just... Eccentric. This was an idea I had a while back, and now I've actually done it._**

 _RWBY **'s villains are heroes.**_

 _RWBY **'s heroes are villains.**_

 ** _Damn... I own nothing. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	2. The Flirts & the Circus (Emerald & Neo)

**(Emerald)**

I stood on an airship, gazing out the window we passed over Vale.

It all looked so tiny, almost insignificant from this height.

Was this how the rich, the upper-class, lived? Did they look down upon the world, seeing everyone else on Remnant as little ants, considering who they should step on?

What a despicable, rotten life. How they must enjoy it...

I shook out of those thoughts, instead looking around at the students packed into the airship.

I was thankful that Professor Blair had given me a place to stay at a nice hotel until I could attend Beacon, thankful that I'd showered and washed my clothes before being so close to all of those people.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about me.

As far as all of those Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training knew, I was one of them.

I started walking toward the exit as the ship landed, being one of the first people to step off.

"Wow." I stared. I had heard that Beacon was big, but the school was HUGE. And for the next four years, it would be my home.

I couldn't help but let a faint smile cross my lips.

I hadn't had a home since I was small, when my parents were still around. They had always wanted me to be the best person I could be...

Now, I would become a Huntress. I would make an honest living for myself, and I'd make my parents proud.

Things were finally looking up.

I started walking toward the school, gazing at my surroundings.

That's when I noticed a boy dressed in grey flirting with two girls.

The first girl had long black hair and pale green eyes highlighted by heavy cyan makeup. She wore a white, strapless dress with cyan lining, a large white flower hairpin above her left ear, a white feather scarf, a silver pad with cyan and red feathers on her left shoulder, white gloves, a small silver bracer over the glove on her left arm, a bow in the center of the top-most part of her bodice, a silver chained belt, cyan wings on the lower back, and long white boots with sharp blades at the heels.

The second girl was likely her twin sister, with short black hair and pale green eyes highlighted by heavy red makeup. She wore a red strapless dress with black lining (which was seemingly decorated/made-of newspaper articles with the heading _A New York la pop art di Alborghetti_ ), large red and white feathers above her left ear, black fur hanging off her shoulders and held at the front by a dark gray chain, red gloves with claws (her weapons), a black bow tied around her waist, and long red boots with very high stiletto heels.

The boy in grey didn't seem to be anything special, but since he was here, I knew he was a Huntsman.

So, as the girls grew more uncomfortable, I decided to intervene: my way.

My kurigusama-chain wrapped around the boy's waist, and I swung my body around, sending him flying into some bushes with ease.

I smirked slightly as he looked up in a daze, confused.

That was fun.

Then, I turned and walked over to the girls, grinning.

"Well done." The girl in red crossed her arms, smiling. "But just know that if you hadn't, I would have."

"No doubt about that." I held a hand out, trying not to be hostile. What had Professor Blair said? Make friends, make friends... "Emerald."

"Miltia." Red-girl shook my hand. Her sister was next.

"Melanie... That boy is exactly the reason why we should keep looking for Roman! I mean, the poor boy probably ended up just like Grey."

" _Roman_?" I raised an eyebrow. Miltia turned to me.

"A friend of ours from Signal. We lost him on the airship."

"Maybe he's dead." Melanie commented, only for Miltia to elbow her in the ribcage, glaring. "Sorry! But with all of these Huntresses, it's likely that he'll choose to flirt with the wrong-" A white, black, and orange blur streaked through the air and crashed into the bushes next to the boy in grey, and I realized it was another teenage boy. A Huntsman. "Girl... Well, there's Roman."

As the twins went over to check on their friend, I looked around in an attempt to find his assailant.

A girl with black hair (greying like ash towards the ends) and golden eyes lowered her fist.

She wore a red, long-sleeved shirt that hung off her shoulders and was longer on one side, a black trim around the bottom and golden designs on the sleeves. With that were long, black leggings and tall, heeled black boots.

On her back (held by a ribbon-like belt) were two curved red/silver swords that could be combined into a bow, along with some arrows.

That was the girl who Roman had flirted with. Big mistake.

Turning away from her, I saw the twins supporting a semi-conscious boy as they walked over to me.

"Emerald..." Miltia rolled her eyes. "Meet the one and only Roman Torchwick: the biggest dumbass ever to get accepted into Beacon."

The boy had one of those natural smirks to his face that meant he was always up to no good. One green eye that was visible (the other hidden by flaming orange bangs) locked on me.

He wore a black bowler hat with a red band and feather, along with a red-lined white suit with rounded sleeves, a small gray scarf, black gloves, long black pants, and black shoes.

If he were anywhere else, the police would be giving him dirty looks or checking the nearby wanted posters.

"It's a pleasure, Ms. Emerald." The boy chuckled. I rolled my eyes.

"Oi vey."

This was going to be a long day.

"Hey!" A voice shouted. The boy in grey marched over, glaring. "Did you throw me into those bushes?!"

A very long day.

"Yeah." I crossed my arms. "Problem?"

" _Problem_?! You threw me in those bushes for no reason!"

" _No reason_? You were being an annoying little-"

"Now, now." Roman stepped between us, smirking. "I'm sure that we can sort this out... Fight to the death. Last one standing win-" Roman winced as Miltia punched him in the gut.

A **VERY** long day.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Neopolitan)**

I silently shuffled among the crowd, bowing my head and hoping that no one would notice me.

I was feeling much more shy and exposed than usual due to the situation, and I even began to consider willing my hair and eyes to different colors.

That's when someone behind me grabbed my shoulder, and I looked back to see a smirking boy.

He had red/brown hair and blue eyes, and he wore gold and silver armor.

Several other boys stood behind him, all of them wearing wicked smiles.

Oh no.

"Told you it was her." The lead boy looked back at his goons, then turned to me, raising a flyer. It was from the circus, and there was an image of me on a tight-rope depicted toward the top. Shit. "Well, well, well... What's a little circus-freak like you doing here?"

' _None of your business._ ' I glared, wishing I could say the words. He must have taken my silence offensively, because the next thing I knew, he grabbed me by the collar with one hand and lifted me into the air, livid.

"Time to teach you some respect, you freak!" The boy reared a fist back, and as it made contact, I shattered and reappeared on a nearby bench, crossing one leg over the other and smirking, my umbrella open behind me.

By now, our little brawl had gained some attention.

I was back in the circus.

"How'd she do that?"

"That was amazing!"

"All bets on the girl!"

"Grr..." The boy stomped over, rearing a fist back. I kicked my legs up and backflipped, striking him in the face with my boots well enough for him to fall back on the ground. I landed on my feet, on the bench, bowing.

Several people clapped, and I heard some cheers.

I was still in the circus.

As the boy got back up, he drew a huge mace.

I raised an eyebrow, only to barely dodge as he swung it at me and destroyed the bench.

I landed in a half-kneel, one palm on the ground while my other hand held my umbrella, and I looked up as he swung the mace again.

I rolled out of the way, seeing the cracked concrete where I had just been positioned, and my eyes widened as I looked up at the boy.

' _Are you trying to kill me?!_ '

"I'm sending you back to the ringmaster in pieces." The boy assured. That's when a large, black shape stepped between him and me.

The first thing I saw was the image of a wilting rose over white wisps and a sea of black.

My vision zoomed-out, and I realized that another teenage boy had entered the fight.

He dressed in black and red, and his hair was blood-red. I could only see his back, but I saw the black tips of bull-horns in his hair.

Guess us outcasts have to stick together, huh?

"That's enough." The bull-Faunus growled, his grip tightening on his weapon. "Break it up."

"Or what, _Bull-Boy_?" My attacker sneered, only to be subsequently thrown into a nearby fountain.

The crowd disbursed, and the boy who'd helped me turned back.

His eyes were as red as blood, and he looked down at me with barely any emotion in his face, but I saw a twinge of pity in his eyes.

"You okay?" The boy extended a hand. I nodded and accepted, getting pulled to my feet.

I raised my hands and signed something, hoping he'd understand.

' **Thank you.** ' I smiled. The boy's eyes widened slightly.

"That boy attacked you because you didn't say anything, and you couldn't have even if you wanted to?" He asked. I shook my head.

' **Mute.** ' I gestured to my throat. The boy obviously didn't know sign-language, but he seemed to understand.

"Oh..." The boy suddenly crouched and picked up a piece of paper. The circus flyer. " _Remnant's greatest acrobat: Neopolitan Raffiné._ " I looked down, giving a small sigh and shaking my head. So much for a new start. "Well, a great Huntsman or Huntress can come from any walk of life... Trust me, I know." I looked up as he once again extended a hand. "My name is Adam Taurus."

' _Neopolitan Raffiné._ ' I shook his hand, giving a small smile.

Maybe I had finally left the circus.

 ** _Well, first impressions can either be good or bad. I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	3. Initiation 1: Partners

**(Mercury)**

That Emerald girl was trouble.

As I got ready to hit the hay in the ballroom, I noticed her, those twins, and the bowler-hat guy talking.

Something wasn't right about that girl. It was as if she was trying too hard to be friendly. She was hiding something, something big.

I continued looking around the room, noticing the girl in red who hit the bowler-hat guy and some bull-Faunus talking to a little brown/pink/white-wearing girl who kept signing with her hands.

I wondered who would be my parter, who my teammates would be.

I hoped that they weren't as big of jackasses as I was. We'd kill each other within the hour.

I knew I wouldn't be the leader. I had no interest in that position, nor in being a _good little soldier_.

I wasn't sure who I'd be on the team. It would depend on who was with me, I guess.

 ** _/\_**

I woke up in the morning, got dressed, ate breakfast, and headed down to the locker-room.

I raised an eyebrow as I watched the boy from yesterday, Roman Torchwick, get thrown into the locker because he tried flirting with the same girl who threw him into the bushes.

I shrugged and walked over to said girl, raising a hand.

"Mercury Black." I smirked. The girl frowned, then sighed and briefly shook my hand.

"Cinder Fall." She replied. I opened my mouth to flirt, only to freeze as Emerald turned the corner. I ducked and hid behind Cinder as she passed. "What's wrong with you?"

"That one has a thing for kicking flirty-boy ass."

"Does she? ... We're going to be the best of friends."

Shit.

"Wait..." I frowned. "Cinder Fall? As in, the four-year Mistral Champion?! Top of class at Sanctum?! The lady on the _Pumpkin Pete's_ cereal box?!"

"Yes." Cinder deadpanned as everyone turned around and stared at her. "That's me."

 ** _/\_**

We stood at Beacon Cliff, ready to be launched from platforms into the Emerald Forest. Professor Blair and Professor Banesaw stood there. Bandsaw had his arms crossed, and Professor Blair smiled.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors." She began. "Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now..." Banesaw continued. "I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow me to put an end to your gossiping... Each of you will be given teammates, today."

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you work well." Blair gave a small smirk. "That being said, the first person you make eye-contact with after landing in the forest will be your partner for the next four years." What?! "After you've partnered up, make your way to the western end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. Horribly..." Bandsaw nudged her. "Right, right... You will be monitored and graded for the duration of initiation, but our instructors will not enter the Emerald Forest. Unless, they're there to retrieve your mangled corpses from the jaws of a Grimm..." Banesaw nudged her again. "Okay, okay! Sorry... You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

"Why'd he keep bugging you?" I smirked, seeing the people shaken up by the Headmistress' speech. "I liked the way you said it, before. My favorite part was the _dying horribly_ thing." Professor Blair smirked, crossing her arms as she turned to Professor Banesaw.

"See?"

"Grr... Take your positions!" Bandsaw ordered. We all got into stances, and one by one, everyone was launched.

I flew through the air, then fired blasts out of my shoes, slowing my fall enough for me to reach out and grab a tree-branch, swinging and letting go. I landed on the ground and smirked, looking around.

"Well... Who thinks they've got what it takes to be Mercury Black's partner?" I asked nobody in particular. Big mistake.

I turned around just as a figure in green, white, silver, black, and brown stumbled out of the forest.

Red eyes locked with grey. Emerald Sustrai and I immediately deadpanned, glaring at each other.

"You have got to be kidding me."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Roman)**

I screamed in fear as I flew through the air. Why were we launched off of a cliff?! What kind of sick bitch launches kids off of cliffs?!

I had no clue as to how to get out of this! I was gonna die!

That's when a black arrow caught the collar of my jacket and pinned me to a tree, saving my life. Was it made of... _Glass_?

"Great." I muttered, reaching up and trying to get the arrow. If I hung around any longer, I would be Grimm-bait.

Suddenly, a familiar figure came out of the woods. It was the kid in grey, the other guy who got taken out by Emerald when he tried to flirt with the Malachite Twins. _Mercury_ , wasn't it?

I waved, but the kid deadpanned and turned back as Emerald exited the woods behind him, looking angry.

"This does not make us friends." The boy scowled, grabbing Emerald by her two green hair-tails and dragging her into the woods. Emerald looked up at me pleadingly just before she was dragged out of sight.

"Poor kid." I muttered, then shrugged. "Not my problem. How am I going to get down from here..?"

"I believe that I may be able to provide some assistance." A familiar voice cooed. I looked down to see a familiar figure in red, her arms crossed, a smirk on her face, and a glint in her golden/Amber eyes.

"Shit."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Adam)**

I landed in the forest, then looked around with a frown on my face.

I had to find a partner.

On one hand, I could run off and try to find a partner in a stranger. Someone I could immediately hate, or would hate me.

On the other hand, I could try and find the one person at Beacon whom I actually tolerated.

...

"Neopolitan?!" I asked, and I started searching for the girl. "Neopolitan?! _Neo_ , where are you?!"

There was a tap on my shoulder, and I turned to see open air. I looked down, and there was a smirking Neopolitan, her arms crossed. Her facial expression spoke for her.

' _What's with the nickname?_ '

"Um... I guess I thought Neopolitan was a bit of a mouthful."

' _Don't be sorry._ ' Neo smiled. ' _I like that nickname._ ' The little girl with the umbrella walked past me, gesturing for me to follow. ' _Come along, partner._ '

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Suddenly, a flash of pink, white, and brown flew past me. Neo pulled the blade from her umbrella out of an Ursa's head, looking back at me.

' _Nope._ '

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Mercury)**

"Hurry up, _Street-Rat_." I glared over my shoulder at my new partner. "I don't have all day!"

"You want me to _hurry up_?" Emerald asked. "If anything, I'm waiting for you! If I were alone, I'd be at the stupid Temple by now!"

"Oh, really?" I turned to face her. "Got plenty of practice running from the fuz, _Street-Rat_?"

"Stop calling me that! And what makes you think-?!"

"Shifty eyes, simplistic weapons, clothing that looks that old? Old Blair's really lost her marbles, cleaning the riff-raff up and calling them _Huntress_."

"You don't know a thing about me!"

"Hmm... Let me guess. Poor little _Emmy_ was thrown out on the street at a young age. Something terrible probably happened to her parents, and she caused too much trouble at the orphanage. So, she went on the run, stealing what she needed to survive and becoming a no-good _Street-Rat_. Then, she happens to be at the right place at the right time, and **BOOM**! She's a Huntress attending Beacon! Am I wrong?"

"But-"

"Am I wrong?!" I smirked as Emerald looked down. "Thought so." Emerald looked up at me, glaring. Then, she vanished into thin air. "What?!" I looked around. "Emerald?! Emerald, what the Hell?! How did you-?!" I heard shifting in the bushes. "Emerald?" That's when an Alpha Beowolf leapt out of the brush and snarled. "EMERALD!"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Cinder)**

I rolled my eyes as I led the way through the Emerald Forest.

I had been one of the first to land, and I saw the flirtatious bastard known as Roman Torchwick falling to his grisly demise.

The bleeding hearts of the world united as one, and I drew my bow and saved his miserable life.

And, seeing as how no one else would partner up with that idiot, I once again took pity.

"AH!" A voice shouted. I looked back to see Roman lying on the ground with a branch swinging above his head. I made the connection.

"Sorry." I sighed, holding a hand out. My partner looked up, a small scratch on his face.

"I'm fine." He accepted my hand and stood. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you activate your aura?"

"My wha..?"

"Aura."

"Oh... Right... I don't have that unlocked, just yet."

"What?!" My eyes widened. "You got into Beacon, the most difficult combat-school to enter on Remnant, without having an unlocked aura?"

"... Yep. Pretty much."

"No kidding?"

"Nope. I went to Signal with the Malachite Twins, in case you think I snuck in... I was home sick on the day they unlocked aura for the others, and I wanted to see how far I could go without it."

"... You are going to die."

"Wait, what?"

"Training is training, but this is the real world. Without your aura, you are going to die... And I'm afraid I can't afford to lose my partner."

"... Huh?" Roman raised an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes and raised a hand to his face.

"Close your eyes and focus." I ordered, and he obeyed. " **For it is in passing that we achieve immortality.** " I activated my orange aura. " **Though this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death.** " Roman started glowing a brilliant green. " **I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.** "

' _Because you are probably going to get yourself killed if I don't, you dumbass womanizer._ '

Suddenly drained, I tried to regain my bearings.

"Cinder?" Roman placed a hand on my shoulder, actually sounding concerned. I looked up.

"I'm fine, Roman... I used my aura to unlock yours. But now, it's your soul that surrounds you." I noticed the cut on Roman's face healing almost-instantly, and I raised an eyebrow. "You really avoided unlocking your aura?"

"Yep."

My partner was an idiot.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Miltia)**

I brushed my hands off, having just finished a King Taijitu.

"MIIIIIIILTIIIIAAAAAA!" A voice crowed. I looked up as Melanie popped out of the trees. "I've been looking for you everywhere! I found the perfect way to get to the Temple!"

"This ought to be good." I rolled my eyes and smiled. "What?"

"WE'RE HAVING A GRIMM RODEO!"

"... What?"

 ** _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The chaos begins! What will happen next?! I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	4. Initiation 2: All Hell Breaks Loose

**(Emerald)**

My eyes widened as I heard a shout, and I turned back.

"EMERALD!"

"Mercury?!" I started running, following the noises of a fight. I burst into a clearing to see Mercury throwing kicks and firing Dust-rounds, trying to hold off a pack of Beowolves. My thief's instinct suddenly kicked in... "GET DOWN!"

Mercury ducked as I leapt forward with my kusarigama chains, spinning my mini-scythes around and slicing through all of the Beowolves.

When the last one fell, I turned back to my partner as he stood up.

"What took you so long?"

"You could say _thank you_ , you know." I crossed my arms. Mercury responded with a glare.

"Thanks for abandoning me to die, partner... How did you do that?"

"Do _what_?"

"The whistling sound, and the turning invisible!"

"Oh..." I looked down. "Well, my semblance sorta-" We heard gunfire in the distance, and my eyes narrowed as I heard a familiar hiss. "Death-Stalker."

"Not our problem." Mercury shrugged. A Nevermore's screech followed. "REALLY not our problem. Let's go, it's Temple-time!"

That's when I heard a familiar shout, and my eyes widened.

Roman.

"We're helping!"

"No way!" Mercury tried to storm off, but I grabbed his arm, pulling him in the direction of the shouts. "Why should I help them?! Why should I even help you, _Street-Rat_?!"

Something inside of me finally snapped, and I spun around and slammed my fist into Mercury's face, sending the boy falling to the forest floor.

He looked up as I looked down at him, glaring as I let my rage show in its full force.

"That screaming-jackass out there just so happens to be my friend, and we're going to help him, or I swear that I will devote all of my power to drive you insane with your deepest, darkest fears." I hissed, then turned around. "Let's go."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Neo)**

Adam and I wandered through the forest, finally arriving at the Temple. Set up inside of the Temple were several stone pedestals with different color and style chess-pieces.

' _Let's go._ ' I gestured. Adam nodded, finally starting to pick up on some of my easier motions.

"Right." We walked down to the Temple, and we started looking around. "Chess-pieces... Think it means something?" I shrugged.

 _'No idea._ ' I went over and grabbed a random piece, a White Knight. I help it over my head, smiling brightly. ' _Can we take the pony?!_ '

"... Sure." Adam rolled his eyes, smiling. I skipped over. "That was easy... This place isn't really hard to find, is it?" I shook my head.

' _Nope!_ ' That's when we heard a scream, and I quickly signed. ' ** _Some girl's in trouble!_** '

"... I'm not so sure that was a girl, Neo."

' _But we should do something!_ '

Suddenly, we heard another scream, this time a girl for sure.

"HEADS UP!"

We looked up to see that green-haired Emerald Sustrai girl yelling in fear as she fell, only for that Roman Torchwick guy to fly out of nowhere and send both of them flying into a tree.

"... What just happened?" Adam asked. I shrugged, eyes wide.

' _No idea._ '

Suddenly, Cinder Fall burst out of the woods with an enraged Death-Stalker on her tail, desperately looking over her shoulder and shooting arrows as she tried to escape. Adam crossed his arms, frowning slightly.

"Did that girl run all the way here, getting chased by a Death-Stalker?"

That's when a laughing girl in blue rode in on an Ursa-Major, driving her sharpened high-heels into its spine. The beast howled in pain before collapsing, dead, and the girl pouted.

"Aw. That's no fun!" The girl, Melanie Malachite, leapt off as someone stumbled out of the woods behind her. It was her twin, Miltia Malachite.

"Mel, please..." The girl in red looked up, exhausted as she rested after presumably a long run in high-heels. "Never do that again..."

Melanie was suddenly at the Temple, and she picked up a White Rook, smiling brightly as she looked at her sister and waved it over her head.

"Mil! I got it!"

"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" My partner asked. I finally snapped, my eyes turning red. I've been told that I'm scary when I'm angry, but... "Whoa, Neo! Calm down! Just breath! Happy thoughts!"

I never thought I was that scary. Oh, well.

' _TO HELL WITH HAPPY THOUGHTS!_ '

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Roman)**

Cinder and I wandered through the forest, looking for the stupid Forest Temple. We finally came across a cave.

"Think that's it?" I asked. Cinder noted some marking around the edge of the cave with a raised eyebrow.

"It's certainly ancient, but shouldn't it look a little more... Like a Temple?"

"I don't know... It can't hurt to check it out, can it?"

"I suppose not..." Cinder drew one of her arrows, cupping her hand over the point and somehow making it glow-red hot, creating a light to guide us through the tunnel. As we walked, we noticed an uncomfortable warmth, then the light went out.

"Damn it!" I cursed, looking around. My eyes fell on a glowing-gold object, and I took a step back. "Hey, Cinder? We should probably run."

"Yeah." Cinder's voice agreed in the dark, and I heard the clink of glass. Were her shoes..? "On three?"

"Yeah... One."

"Two." I noticed the stinger raising, several eyes opening and glowing in the dark. I saw the eyes lock on a now-illuminated Cinder...

"Three!" Cinder turned and bolted as I grabbed the stinger to keep it from striking her, being pulled into the air with a yell of fear. The Death-Stalker burst out of the cave, me still hanging onto the stinger, Cinder's eyes widening as she turned back and saw me. "Roman!"

"Run!" I shouted. "It's an Elder!" I yelped as the tail swung, the Death-Stalker having noticed me. It was trying to get me in a place where its claws could reach. "Go, Cinder!"

"I'm not just leaving you!"

"Even if I wasn't about to die, we couldn't take this thing out alone!" I lifted my legs off to avoid a double-amputation. "Run! I'll catch up!"

Cinder hesitated, then turned and ran off as fast as she could. About two seconds later, the Deathstalker flung me off its tail and into the sky.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Mercury)**

"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! This is it! I'm gonna die!" I kept shouting as I desperately clung to a Nevermore's feathers. Emerald had abandoned me to die. Served me right, trusting a little Street Rat like her... That's when I lost my grip and fell, barely managing to grab the beast's claw. "OH GOD! THIS IS THE END!"

"JUMP!" I heard Emerald's voice from far below. "MERCURY, JUMP! IT'LL BE ALRIGHT!" How did she survive?! And was she crazy?!

"HELL, NO!" I yelled, only for my hand to start to slip. "Oh, f-AAAAHH!" I started falling to my death, kicking and screaming curse words.

That's when a glass arrow pinned me by the collar of my shirt to a tree. I looked up to see Cinder Fall lowering her bow as she ran past with a Death-Stalker in her tail, and I looked around to see Emerald on the ground below the tree and Roman Torchwick hanging upside-down in the tree in front of me.

"Welcome to the _Tree Club_." Roman deadpanned. "Our current membership consists of Emerald, me, you, and a bunch of terrified squirrels."

I ripped the arrow out of my collar and pulled Roman down onto the branch, both of us leaping down. Emerald smiled, crossing her arms and gesturing to the Temple with her head.

"Found it."

"Go die."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Adam)**

Cinder was knocked over to Neo and I by the Death-Stalker as Emerald, Mercury Black, Roman Torchwick, and Miltia Malachite ran over (Melanie just sort of appeared behind us).

' _Great._ ' Neo was three seconds from exploding in rage. ' _Now, we can all die together._ '

"Grab your relics." Emerald ordered, turning to us. "I'll buy time for as long as I can." Mercury frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"You told me to _go die_ , didn't you?" The green-haired girl glared, whipping out and unfolding green mini-scythes on kusarigama-chains. "Consider this my best shot."

With that, Emerald darted forward and ran across the field toward the Death-Stalker, changing the mini-scythes into guns and firing at the beast and dodged its strikes, holding it off.

"That stupid little Street-Rat's going to get herself killed." Mercury scowled. Then, our eyes widened as the Nevermore launched its feathers at Emerald, trapping her with her back against a rock-solid feather-wall and the Death-Stalker bearing down on her.

"She's going to die!" Melanie stared. The green-haired girl's partner's eyes narrowed, and Mercury gritted his teeth in rage.

"Not on my watch." With that, Mercury ran forward. As this happened, Roman got a White-Rook relic, and he watched with a raised eyebrow.

"Should I want those two to fight to the death for everyone's amusement, or do I ship them like _Dust-Ex_?"

Mercury arrived and launched strange white ghost-wind things out of his boots, and they swirled around the Death-Stalker before crashing into it. That only made the monster angrier, and it batted Mercury aside, raising its stinger.

Emerald suddenly ran between Mercury and the Death-Stalker, raising her hands in defense as her blood-red eyes narrowed in focus. The Death-Stalker paused, hissing in confusion before looking around and running into the woods. The Nevermore tried to attack again, but Emerald turned her gaze on it and sent it flying away in a similar direction as the other Grimm.

"H-how did she..?" Miltia gaped. Emerald turned and extended a hand, helping a stunned Mercury to his feet before running over to us.

Emerald sighed in relief, then raised her hand to the side of her head and winced as everyone stared at her.

"Remind me to never try that on Grimm ever again." She pleaded. "Their minds are WAY too chaotic." Emerald paled as she seemed to realize what she said. "I-I mean..."

"Explain later!" Mercury glared. "Those things won't be gone for long, and the relics are right there!" Emerald nodded, still looking at us warily.

"Right." She began. "Let's grab our relics, make it to the cliffs, and avoid any Grimm if we can." Emerald looked at Mercury, and he gestured to the relics.

"Be my guest." He smirked slightly. His partner rolled her eyes, then went over and grabbed a White-Knight relic like the one Neo had chosen. Neo looked up at me, her brown and pink eyes wide as she gestured with her head.

 _'These people are absolutely crazy!_ '

"I know, Neo. I know..."

If Neo and I were grouped with any of these people, we would never live to see our graduation. We'd be lucky to see the end of our first year.

 ** _Well... They're just as screwed as the heroes were in the show. What will happen in the next chapter? How will the "villains" take down these Grimm? How will the others react to Emerald's secret?_**

 ** _I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	5. Initiation 3: Finale

**(Melanie)**

We ran toward the cliffs as the Nevermore landed on some ruins, and I looked back over my shoulder as the Dearth Stalker started to catch up with us. I looked forward at Miltia, and she looked back.

"Don't you dare!"

"Sorry!" I turned back and somersaulted, my boot-armor rising off of the plain boots underneath and turning into twin pistols, and I landed in a kneel as I caught the pistols and slammed them together, the two weapons merging into one as they became a sniper-rifle. I fired several shots at the giant scorpion, making it pause and screech in frustration as it tried to find the source of the attacks.

Its glowing red eyes locked on me, and the monster hissed menacingly and charged. I looked up from my rifle's scope with wide eyes, only to be grabbed and pulled out of the way as the stinger slammed into the dirt, Mercury pulling me along as we started to catch up with the others.

"IS EVERYONE HERE SUICIDAL?!"

"Thank you!" I smiled as Mercury set me down next to Miltia, and we kept running. My twin sister elbowed me in the side, giving a sharp glare.

"You idiot! That thing could have killed you!"

"Yes, but it didn't!"

As we ran over the stone bridge, the Nevermore flew down from its perch and slammed into it with all of its might, breaking the bridge into two halves.

Emerald, Mercury, Neo, Roman, and I were on one side.

Miltia, Cinder, and Adam were on the other.

"Shit!" Roman cursed, running up and standing next to me as we looked over at the others, who were pinned and fighting the Death Stalker. "They're going to die if we don't save their stupid asses."

"Right!" I nodded. "I can make the jump. Can you?"

"Um..."

"Well, looks like we're doing this the fun way!" I dropped my sniper rifle, and it broke apart on the ground and flew back into boot-armor, and I grabbed a Roman by the shoulders and moved him to a spot on the bridge, making the calculation. Roman's eyes suddenly widened, and he shook his head.

"Melanie, I know what you're thinking! Don't!"

"Aw, Roman!" I laughed. "It'll be fine! It's just like that time in Ciryo!" I clicked my heels together and leapt up into the air with explosive force as a gravity-Dust-round went off, coming down and landing on the bridge with both feet, breaking it and using the momentum to launch Roman over the gap. Then, I did another gravity-jump and landed into a crouch next to Roma, laughing as I stood while he laid on the ground in a heap. "Wow! That really was like that time in Ciryo!"

"I... Hate... You..." There was suddenly a sound like glass shattering, and Neo appeared next to Adam, grabbing him by the arm and giving a sickeningly-sweet smile and a mocking salute before the two of them shattered and reappeared on the opposite side of the broken bridge, Adam taking a moment to get over his surprise before they ran off to help Emerald and Mercury fight the Nevermore. "... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

 ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_**

 **(Emerald)**

Adam and Neo joined us on the pillars as the Nevermore circled overhead, and I looked at them, crossing my arms as I tried to come up with any semblance of a plan. Most of them would get us killed, and the other few would require all of us to get along, so there was one thing that I thought I knew for certain: we were all going to die.

"Okay..." I took a deep breath. "Who here has a gun in their weapon?" Adam and Mercury raised their hands, and Neo smirked before putting her umbrella back and reaching behind and under her coat, drawing a pair of the tiniest pink/white/brown pistols that I had ever seen from sheaths hidden in the back of their belt. They looked like they were supposed to be used by baby assassins. "... We are so dead."

"... Shoot me." Adam announced. We all looked at him in surprise. "My semblance allows me to absorb energy from opponents' energy-attacks into my body, then expel it all at once. If I build up enough energy, then get close enough to that thing, I can take it out." I nodded, starting to form a plan.

"Neo, you go and help Adam build up the energy. Mercury and I will hold off the Nevermore for as long as we can."

"Even if we all don't die horribly, how will we get Bull-Boy up there?" Mercury asked. I gave a small smirk.

"I think I've got an idea."

 ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_**

 **(Cinder)**

As Roman, Melanie, Miltia, and I fought off the Death Stalker, the bridge started to crumble beneath our feet. My eyes widened, then I kneeled and placed my hand on the stone, focusing. Fire burned through the cracks in the rock, and I focused it until it was white hot. It started melting the stone and fusing it back together, and the bridge stabilized.

I looked up as Miltia leapt up onto the stinger and started clawing at it with her gauntlets as Dust activated and made the metal red-hot, severing most of the Grimm's weapon, only to get flung into a ruin wall and knocked into a daze, falling to the ground in a heap. Melanie reached out, eyes wide.

"Miltia!" She cried out. I looked over as an unbelievable rage built up in my partner's dark-green eyes, a stark contrast to his usually smug and carefree personality.

"Okay..." Roman walked up to the Death Stalker, twirling his cane and glaring. "This has officially gotten old." Roman raised his cane, the end popting up with a beep to reveal crosshairs. Roman fired the cane-gun, a red flash flying out with a screech and flying at the Death Stalker, exploding with multiple types of Dust. The monster roared in pain, Roman casually walking forward without fear, livid. "Let me make something perfectly clear, _Bug_. To you and all your pathetic little Grimm buddies... You touch my friends-" The Death Stalker swing its claw, a Roman raising his cane with one hand and blocking the claw with an immense strength. "You die."

He wasn't using his aura for any of this. Maybe I had been wrong, before. Maybe he didn't actually need it...

"Amazing, isn't it?" Melanie asked, looking perfectly calm for the first time since I had met her. She gave a small smile, looking over as she stood next to me. "What you're capable of when you're protecting your friends?"

"... I suppose it is."

"Cinder!" Roman shouted. I looked over as he pointed at the tail. I nodded, drawing my bow and notching an arrow, driving and severing the stinger. It landed on the Death Stalker's back, and Roman looked at Melanie. "Remember that time in Ciryo?!" The girl raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?! Of course I-!" Melanie stopped, then smirked and nodded. "Got it!" Melanie launched herself into the air with her boots, coming down on the stinger and driving it into the Death Stalker, shattering its armor and sending cracks running across the bridge. I quickl reached down to fix it, but Roman grabbed my wrist.

"Trust me!" He pleaded. The Death Stalker's body crashed down on the bridge and sent us flying into the air and behind it. I landed in a crouch on the solid ground, Roman landing on his face and Melanie on her rear. Miltia stumbled over, falling down on her face when she saw that the battle was over.

"Ow..."

 ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_**

 **(Neo)**

I raised my pistols and focused as Adam raised his blade and nodded for me to begin. I nodded, smirking as I started to fire at my partner. He moved his blade as to deflect the Dust-rounds, but his red blade seemed to absorb them instead. With every hit, every red thing on his body briefly glowed, and several minutes later, he sheathed his blade, his whole body radiating power. He looked up at me and nodded.

"Ready..." He gritted his teeth as he tried to contain the power. "Those pistols are more powerful... Than they look..." I nodded, smiling deviously as I blew the smoke rising from the barrels away and sheathed the weapons, pulling out my umbrella as Emerald and Mercury ran over.

"Ready?" Emerald asked. Adam nodded, and Emerald pulled out her mini-scythes ( _kamas_ is the proper term, isn't it?), slamming the hilts together and making them lock together. Then, she released the kusarigama chains and spun the kamas, throwing them and drove them into pillars on either side of the remaining bridge at equal height. Emerald leapt up and pulled the chain down, the metal surprisingly springy, and she smirked. "Get in."

"... You are crazy!" Mercury snapped. "We are not launching Bull-Boy out of a giant slingshot at a monster flying around what looks like a bottomless pit of death!" Emerald rolled her eyes and pointed at Mercury and I, then at the Nevermore.

"Down it."

' _Got it._ ' I nodded. Mercury scowled as we ran toward the ruins, leaping up onto pillars. I whipped out my pistols and fired as Mercury kicked his boots to fire, and I took note of his movements. How wasn't he tired from all of the running and kicking? It was weird... The Nevermore suddenly turned and flew at us, turning slightly to go for Mercury.

I reached out, eyes wide, only for Mercury to leap up and into the thing's beak, holding it open with his hand and one leg as he fired rapid shots down the thing's throat, glaring.

"DIDN'T ANYONE EVER TELL YOU THAT **MERCURY** 'S DEADLY, BITCH?!"

Mercury leapt down as the Nevermore crashed into the face of the cliff, landing on the bridge in a crouch. He stood and brushed himself off as I ran forward and shattered on the edge of the bridge, reappearing on the Nevermore's back and stabbing my umbrella's blade into the monster's spine. Its wings fell limp at its sides, and the monster thrashed, screeching in pain. I hung onto my umbrella for dear life, terrified of the fall that awaited me if I let go.

This was a bad idea.

 ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_**

 **(Adam)**

I looked on with wide eyes as Neo held on for dear life, then looked back as Emerald and Mercury pulled the chain back, aiming me at the Nevermore. I took a deep breath, looking forward and gripping the hilt of my sheathed weapon.

"Make sure to aim me near Neo."

"You got it, boss." Mercury replied. "Try not to die, okay?" I rolled my eyes.

"No promises." I deadpanned. With that, they released the chain and launched me at the Nevermore.

 ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_**

 **(Roman)**

My eyes widened as I saw those psychopaths launch Adam at the Nevermore.

"What the Hell?!"

"God, this is just like the horror movies." Miltia deadpanned, crossing her arms and deadpanning. "The humans get out okay, but the Faunus always die. Of course they'd sacrifice him."

"Wait..." Cinder frowned, eyes narrowing. Then, her eyes widened. "Neo is on that thing's back!"

"What?!" I asked, looking out over the void to see a tiny brown speck on the Nevermore's back. "How are they going to get her off of there?! If that thing goes down, it'll take her with it!"

 ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_** ** _/\_**

 **(Neo)**

I closed my eyes and readied myself for death as Adam came flying at the Nevermore, unsheathing his red blade as his whole body glowed red, swiping his blade across the beast's throat.

I don't know what I expected to happen when Adam unleashed his semblance. Maybe I thought that the Nevermore would drop dead. Maybe I thought it would explode. What I didn't expect to happen was the Nevermore dissolving into rose-petals, but of course: that's what it did.

I opened my mouth in a silent scream as I started to fall, only for a certain someone to grab my umbrella and wrap his arm around my waist, snatching me out of the air as he flew at the cliff face and drove his blade into the rock, holding the both of us up. I quickly wrapped my arms around him, looking down at the void in fear.

"I've got you, Neo." Adam promised, and I looked up. "Your eyes... Red when you're angry, white when you're afraid." I nodded timidly, blinking my eyes back to normal. "Brown and pink when you're normal... You know, I think I'm starting to pick up on certain things." I smirked. "You don't think so?"

' _Just try to understand me. Just try. I'll drive you insane, my dear Adam._ '

"What's going to drive me insane, _my dear **Neo**_ , is the climb we've got ahead of us."

 _'Wait, how did you-?!_ '

"You have got to be kidding me." We both looked to see our friends walking up some stone steps, then we looked up the cliff at the climb we had ahead of us. I looked back at Adam.

' _Wait for them and make Emerald and Mercury pull us up?_ '

"They got us into this mess. The least they could do is get us out of it."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Emerald)**

That night, we stood in a crowd as Professor Salem Blair called everyone up to the stage one by one to give out teammates and team-names. I listened anxiously as...

"Roman Torchwick, Miltia Malachite, Cinder Fall, Melanie Malachite." Blair began. "Th four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces, so from this day forth, you shall work together as Team RMMC (Runic): led by Roman Torchwick."

"What?" Roman asked as he blinked a few times, dumbfounded. Blair nodded, giving a mysterious smile.

"I expect great things from you, young man."

"... Well, get ready to be disappointed."

"Emerald Sustrai, Adam Taurus, Mercury Black, Neopolitan Raffiné." Blair called out, and we all lined up onstage. I could feel a pit growing in my stomach... "The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forth, you shall work together as Team SABR (Saber), led by... Emerald Sustrai." My eyes widened, my jaw dropping as the other three turned and looked at me. "It looks as though this will turn out to be quite an... Interesting year."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

Far off, in some old warehouse, Jaune Arc stood and gazed at a map of Vale. He seemed deep in thought, an eyebrow raised as he carefully drew out lines and wrote down strategies and notes in a journal.

A man dressed in black and white with a silver mask walked up behind him, pushing some sort of cart with a crate, and Jaune turned around, crossing his arms and giving a little gesture with his hand.

"Open it... Please?" He asked. The man opened the box, revealing several Dust crystals. Jaune nodded in approval. "Tell the boys that they did good, Mike. They get tomorrow off." Jaune held several lien cards out, spreading them out like a fan so Mike could be sure that all of the money was there, then handed them to him. Jaune picked up a red Dust-crystal and examined it, then let out a sigh as he turned back to his map. "We're going to need more men... Or women. Never underestimate women, Mike. Trust me, they will kick your ass."

 ** _Well... This chapter was a bit more intense. As you can see, I gave Neo a pair of pistols and upgraded Melanie and Miltia's weapons. I just wanted to cover all bases, since blades alone can't fight Grimm. I wasn't really that worried about Neo (since she's kinda a badass), but Melanie and Milta are bodyguards in the show, not Grimm-fighters. They needed a little extra badass, you know?_**

 ** _So, the origins of the team-names:_**

 _ **1. RMMC (Runic): **runic **is a word that can mean** having to do with a secret or mystery **, or it can mean** having to do with an alphabet composed of runes **. The first meaning was the one that caught my attention, seeing as how we still aren't fully aware of what the bad guy's evil pan is in canon. I really hope that it isn't something stupid, like:**_

 _ **"Gee, Cinder! What are we going to do tonight?!"**_

 _ **"The same thing we do every night, Emerald. Try to take over the world!"**_

 _ **Yeah. Really hope that that isn't Salem and Cinder's final plan. Not with all this buildup... The second meaning is where the color-aspect comes from. When people think of runes, they usually think of those little markings carved into stone in places like Egypt or other ancient civilizations, so the color comes from whatever color stone pops into your head.**_

 _ **As for Roman being the leader, I thought that he just needed more time to shine. Roman was my favorite villain, and ultimately my favorite character next to Yang. Plus, I just think that this version of him needed a bit more character development. Not that the others won't get development! They will!**_

 _ **2. SABR (Saber): I chose this name because, since they were villains in canon and what Emerald and Mercury pulled with Team RWBY and the rest of Remnant, my thoughts went the idea of getting stabbed in the back. There's also the fact that two of the members use swords. The color aspect comes from the color of silver that most people imagine when thinking of swords/sabers/rapiers.**_

 _ **I chose Emerald for the leader because I feel like she deserves some more development, there's some team-conflict between her and Mercury even in canon, Adam is meant to be a more Blake-y character, and Neo can't exactly give out verbal orders in battle.**_

 ** _I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!_**


	6. First Day, Worst Day (Right?)

_Darkness... Then a flash of bright light filled the screen with white._

 _ **Welcome to the bloodbath jump into the tub!**_

 _ **Fist-fight, death-match come and join the club!**_

 _Team SABR's silhouettes formed in green, red, grey, and strawberry-pink and rushed forward to face an army of black monsters charging at them._

 _ **Kick-start your face with a metal-clad boot!**_

 _Mercury's silhouette kicked a Beowolf's silhouette, Emerald's silhouette slicing another's head off._

 _ **You should give up now, your retaliation's moot!**_

 _Adam's silhouette decapitated an Ursa, only to turn and watch as Neo's silhouette killed three Gryphons._

 _ **I'll run circles round ya, I can touch the sky!**_

 _ **I'm gonna make ya hurt and I'm gonna make you cry!**_

 _The screen flashed white, red, light-blue, and orange before shifting to show the training arena._

 _ **You want to mess around? Well come on, let's go!**_

 _Cinder Fall charged a group of black silhouettes of people, the girl drawing her swords and slashing._

 _ **I got no time to waste let's start the show!**_

 _Melanie and Miltia entered a nightclub and smiled as they looked around the establishment, crossing their arms as a black-haired boy in green and an orange-haired girl in pink approached._

 ** _I'm the one that your mama said:_**

 _ **'Don't mess with them, or you'll end up dead!'**_

 _Roman leaned against the wall on one of Beacon's rooftops, his bowler-hat over his eyes as he raised a cigar to his lips, smirking._

 _ **'That type, they don't follow any rules!'**_

 _Cinder slapped the cigar out of Roman's hand and crossed her arms, the boy pouting as she smirked._

 _ **You're looking tall, you're looking tough!**_

 _ **I'm sorry dude, it's not enough!**_

 _The black silhouettes of three people appeared, surrounded by flames and glowing-black shrapnel._

 _The leading silhouette's green eyes stood out on the screen, her arms crossed with her ponytail and the gems hanging from chains on her circlet waving in a slight wind._

 _The silhouette to her right had her hands on her hips, her long and wild hair waving as they stood with an air of confidence, the outline of large, bulky bracelets on her wrists._

 _The first silhouette to her left wore a beret, one with a hand on her hip and checking something on her wrist._

 _ **Your girlfriend's blade won't help you win this duel...**_

 _Jaune Arc smirked as he crossed his arms, standing before a group of people wearing silver masks and black hoods._

 _ **The bigger they are, then the more that they bleed!**_

 _ **The deeper the scars that won't heal!**_

 _Jaune drew his sword and gestured forward with it, the men behind him rushing forward._

 _ **Buckets of pain as they lie there in shame,**_

 _ **Knowing how true defeat feels..!**_

 _Team SABR appeared in their full colors in Beacon's courtyard, standing in a line with their heads bowed._

 _Mercury looked up._

 _ **I'm the one...**_

 _Mercury stood in a house, backing away from a black silhouette as it approached with clenched fists, his grey eyes filled with fear._

 _ **That was born in a nightmare, a murderer's son!**_

 _ **Got no gun...**_

 _Mercury's eyes suddenly blazed with rage, and he rushed forward._

 _ **But I gleam like a blade and I'm harder than iron!**_

 _Team SABR was shown again with their heads bowed in Beacon's courtyard, and Emerald looked up._

 _ **I'm the one...**_

 _Emerald walked down a street, her head bowed._

 _ **Who rose out of filth and was loved by no-one!**_

 _ **Delusion...**_

 _Emerald bit her lower lip as she reached down as someone passed her._

 _ **I'll steal 'til your blind and defeat you from inside your mind!**_

 _Emerald raised a wallet in front of her face and sped up her trek, the screen flashing bright-white..._

 _ **You're still standing up? Well, let's go another round!**_

 _ **Singin' king of pain, and you're gonna get crowned!**_

 _Roman and Cinder charged at a Death-Stalker, Roman blocking a claw with his cane as Cinder shot it in the eye with her bow._

 _ **You like the way I dress? Yeah, I know I'm fine!**_

 _ **The blood's gonna stain but it won't be mine!**_

 _Melanie and Miltia lunged at the screen, Miltia glaring and slashing with her claws while Melanie laughed and swiped with her boots._

 _ **Just chill here while I drop into the brush,**_

 _ **See you when I land and you're gonna feel the crush!**_

 _The screen flashed with the images of two teams. One was entirely comprised of girls, the other with three boys and one girl._

 _The second team stood in Beacon's courtyard, smiling and laughing._

 _The first team stood in the arena, smirking cruelly._

 _ **Lay right down and grab a little rest!**_

 _The screen panned left, revealing that Team SABR was in the arena with the smirking girls._

 _Adam cracked his knuckles, Neo smirked and rested her umbrella on her shoulder, Emerald swung her kama on a kusarigama-chain, and Mercury crossed his arms, glaring._

 _They stood in defense of the team of smiling team and Team RMMC, who watched with wide eyes and shocked expressions._

 _ **I guess you didn't know that you were dealing with the best!**_

 _Salem stood on the deck of an airship with Banesaw at night, her arms folded behind her back as she gazed forward at the moon with a frown._

 _ **You shoulda stayed at home today!**_

 _ **This fisticuff won't go your way!**_

 _Salem bowed her head and sighed, looking away as she seemed to silently say a two-syllable word._

 _ **This confrontation isn't just for school..!**_

 _A yellow silhouette charged across a black screen, flickers of flame remaining in the air momentarily behind her. A dark-blue silhouette walked with perfect posture across the screen from the opposite direction, checking something on their wrist._

 _A pair of big, emerald-green eyes opened in the black. They blinked, then changed into a pair of narrowed eyes._

 _One eye was normal, chocolate-brown and filled with a quiet wisdom. The other was black where there should have been white, and the irises were glowing with a cruel, hateful red._

 _ **It might be hard to hear me say**_

 _ **'Kicking your ass is child's play'!**_

 _A red silhouette ran across a white screen, leaving rose-petals behind. A neon-pink silhouette roller-skated from the opposite direction._

 _A pair of sad, dark-red eyes opened in the white and gazed forward with regret, yet steeled determination. They looked down and closed._

 _ **I hope you're not crushed by this ridicule..!**_

 _Adam and Mercury marched forward and glared at each other, Neo and Emerald standing off to the side with wide, worried eyes._

 _Neo's eyes flashed red, and she gripped the sides of her head._

 _ **A slap on the wrist and a kick to the chin!**_

 _Adam sat on his bed in the dorm, looking down at his mask with a frown._

 _Neo sat on her bed, looking down at the circus flyer and wiping something from her eyes._

 _ **A hint of the flavor of steel!**_

 _Mercury looked up at an old photo as he held it above his head, closing his eyes and sighing as he laid on his bed._

 _Emerald looked around at her teammates, frowned, then slipped a black sleep-mask over her eyes._

 _ **No one to blame, it's the end of the game!**_

 _Blake smirked as she backed into shadows, her golden/amber eyes glowing in the darkness._

 _ **The humiliation is real..!**_

 _Team SABR stood in the courtyard again, and Neo looked up._

 _ **I'm the one...**_

 _A young Neo screamed in a black oblivion before she and her background shattered like glass._

 _ **That was ripped from the earth and exposed to the sun**!_

 _Neo shot up in a white oblivion and gripped the sides of her head as tears raced down her face._

 _..._

 _Mercury shot up in a white oblivion as well, in near-panic._

 _ **Overrun**_

 _ **By the hate and the beatings, defiled by a father!**_

 _Mercury bowed his head._

 _ **I'm the one..!**_

 _Adam stood in Beacon's courtyard at night, frowning as he gazed at the statue of humans standing over feral animals. His fists clenched._

 _ **I'll race with your eyes and you'll never outrun!**_

 _Adam turned and ran, vanishing into the darkness as the red outlines of a Grimm's mask shone in the shadow._

 _ **Illusions...**_

 _In the training arena, Emerald looked down at her hands forlornly before closing her eyes and sighing._

 _ **Will conquer your mind and will make you fulfill my design!**_

 _Emerald's eyes snapped open and glinted dangerously._

 _..._

 _The screen went pitch-black, then the silhouettes of Team SABR in their appropriate colors appeared in various poses._

 _Emerald stood with one knee bent, her arms at her sides with her wrists slightly bent up, her hair-tails whipping around her._

 _Adam had his arms crossed, his head turned slightly away._

 _Mercury appeared to have crossed arms as well, but he stood in a more relaxed stance._

 _Neo bowed, the white silhouette of her umbrella opened behind her back._

 _One word appeared in white._

 _ **SABR**_

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Unknown)**

I shook my head, _tsk_ ing lightly as I watched over my dear Salem's so-called _champions_.

These were the ones she expected to face me, to defeat me? Pitiful. They were children! Children, whom she planned to send to their deaths. It was tragic, really, but it was all her fault.

She had to realize this, or perhaps she had finally lost her mind due to this conflict. Such a shame. Just when it was about to get interesting...

"These are your heroes?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Surely, my dear, you can do better."

 ** _There are none who are better._**

"Then, either they don't make Huntsmen and Huntresses like they used to, or you've completely lost your senses."

 ** _Quite possible. But, I remind you, I've already been defeated in the race to to madness._**

"You wound me... There will be no victory in strength."

 ** _Then, why do you place so much effort into growing strong?_**

I growled at that. After all these years, that woman was still just as aggravating as ever.

 ** _Perhaps..._**

Her voice caught my attention. The knowing in it, the mystery. Oh, she was still playing the game...

 _ **Victory lies in something you've long forgotten.**_

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, smirking. "And what would that be?"

Silence.

I waited a few moments, then sighed, shaking my head and smirking. She was planning something, something that she was convinced would bring victory... How exciting.

"Seer." I turned as the Grimm floated up to me. "Send a message to the Vale Team, and to the council. Tell them to advance their efforts." I turned away, grinning slyly. "The table is set. Prepare your Pawns, your Knights, your Rooks, and your Bishops, my Queen... It won't be too long now, until one of us finally declares _Checkmate_."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Mercury)**

I woke up in the morning, feeling pretty good. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and all was peaceful. I opened my eyes and turned, only to see Emerald holding an air-horn and smirking.

"SURPRISE!" Emerald activated the air-horn, and I shouted in surprise as I fell out of my bed in my grey t-shirt, black pants, and white socks, hitting the ground with a thud. I looked up as Emerald laughed, Neo gave a silent giggle, and Adam smirked and crossed his arms. "Now that we have that out of the way, it's time for us to start our first order of business." I glared up at her.

"You are the bane of my existence."

"Whatever." Emerald rolled her eyes, then smiled at Adam and Neo. "Now, Team SABR, it's time to start working!" I stood and looked around, raising an eyebrow at my companions in their uniforms.

Emerald wore her hair as she normally did, that sort of crystal-y design with the two tails running down her back, and she wore the standard Beacon girl's uniform with tall black socks, black heels, and a silver bracelet on her left wrist.

Adam wore the standard Beacon boy's uniform with no clear differences in his hair or the outfit besides the black gloves that he wore with his combat-outfit.

Neo wore her hair as she normally did with the Beacon girl's uniform, and she wore a pair of black leggings and black flats.

"Working on what?" I asked. Neo made several signs with her hands, smiling in excitement. My eyebrow raised further. "What?"

" _Decorating_." Adam elaborated. "We still have to unpack and decide on the layout of this room." I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Let me get dressed."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

I sat in the bathroom, looking down as I mentally prepared myself for the day, sighing and shaking my head as I remembered the aftermath of my fight with my father.

My trek of victory became a painful stumble, and I realized that dear old Dad managed to get in a few good hits before he kicked the bucket. I made it to the nearest hospital, and-

I quickly shook out of it, closing my eyes and looking down as I shoved the legs of my pants down, covering my two prosthetic legs.

Now wasn't the time for regrets.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Cinder)**

In the bathroom, I changed into my school uniform and granted myself a few articles from my usual combat-attire.

I wore the uniform with my earring, my leggings, and my boots, my anklet going over my boot. My hair and my little makeup was normal, and I nodded to myself in the mirror.

This would do.

 ** _/\_**

I returned from the bathroom, entering my dorm and raising an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?"

Melanie wore her uniform with her usual makeup and hairstyle, along with her hair-pin and chain-belt. Then, she wore white tights and tall, black boots.

Miltia wore her uniform with her usual makeup and hairstyle, along with the feathers pinned above her ear and her short black fur-cloak held by its usual chain. Then, she wore black tights and her usual boots.

"Shhh!" Melanie raised a finger to her lips as she and her sister tip-toed around the room. "We have to make sure that he doesn't wake up!" I noticed that Roman was still sleeping and raised my eyebrow further.

"... Why?"

"Because he wears nearly as much make-up as we do, has severe OCD when it comes to his appearance, and it's the first day of school." Miltia answered, smirking. I slowly smirked in return.

"I have an idea."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Neo)**

We started working on decorating the room, and well... We all had something that one wouldn't expect in the average dorm-room.

Emerald had lots of postcards from all over Remnant. They pretty much covered an entire wall.

Adam also had pictures from all over Remnant with him, but he also had a lot of books with him, which he placed on shelves all around the room. I noticed him pick up one and scowl.

"Goddamnit, Blake..."

Mercury had a bunch of really cool assassin throwing-knives on a rack that he hung on the wall.

As for me... I hung a tight-rope between the window and the tree, outside. I had tried to hang it in the room, but that didn't work out so well.

"AH!" Emerald got clotheslined by the near-invisible tightrope, hitting the ground on her back and grabbing her throat, sighing as she looked up at the ceiling from the ground. "Ow..."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Adam)**

We looked around at the room, arms crossed and deadpanning as we saw all of the beds piled in the middle.

"Well, we're screwed." Mercury commented dryly, looking at our leader expectantly. "Well, _Fearless Leader_? What, now?" Emerald stuck her tongue out at him, then frowned.

"No idea. Neo, Adam? Ideas?"

' _Me, me!_ ' Neo bounced, holding her hand in the air like a kindergartener. I sighed, shaking my head and smiling slightly at the tiny girl.

"What?" I asked. Neo made several gestures. "Okay... Two words." Neo nodded. "Both begin with the letter **B**." My partner nodded, again. "One syllable, each?" Neo nodded, then made a few more gestures. "... _Bunk beds_?" Neo nodded excitedly.

"Yes!" Emerald grinned. "Nice one, Neo!" I reluctantly nodded, not seeing another way out. Mercury looked around at us, then managed a small grin.

"Alright. What's the worst that could happen?" He asked. Neo made several more motions. "Adam, please translate for your toy-poodle."

I grabbed Neo by the upper arms from behind and barely kept her from lunging and attacking the boy. I was surprised by how strong she really was...

"She says _we have to hurry, since our first class starts at nine_."

"Hmm, it's eight thirty-five." Emerald checked her watch. "Think we can have this done in fifteen minutes?" Neo pumped her fist, smirking.

' _CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!_ '

"... _Challenge accepted_." I translated. Neo rolled her eyes and gestured to Emerald and Mercury. "She says that _you two really need to learn how to read body language, especially Emerald_." I rolled my eyes at the next part. "She doesn't think that I can handle her level of spunk and sass." Neo snapped her fingers a few times, smirking and winking. "Really?"

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Roman)**

"Roman..." A vaguely familiar voice cooed. Cinder? I shifted in my sleep, frowning. "I have something to tell you, Roman..."

"Hmm?"

"It's eight-fifty. You have five minutes to get ready before we head to class."

"Well, that's nice... Wait, what?" My eyes snapped open. "WHAT?!"

I got up, grabbed my things, and darted out of the room as Cinder, Melanie, and Miltia laughed. Stupid girls, ganging up on me...

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Emerald)**

I gazed over Team SABR's creation, nodding in approval.

My bed was suspended over Mercury's with some of the spare kusarigama chains I carried with me, the chains attached to the ceiling. Neo had set up a similar system with dozens or maybe hundreds of near-transparent wires (seriously, how much tightrope-walking did she do?), and Adam had hung black sheets around the bottom of her bed to serve as curtains for his. He claimed that he liked his privacy.

" _Challenge completed_." Adam translated Neo's sign-language, crossing his arms and smirking. "I have to admit... Not bad." Mercury simply shrugged.

"Eh."

"Seriously, are you ever happy?" I asked, my eyes narrowing. Mercury smirked at me.

"This is as happy as it gets, _Gem_." He announced coyly. I opened my mouth to speak, but- "Don't think I've stopped calling you _Street-Rat_. You and _Bull-Boy_ and _Toy-Poodle_ are going to wish you never heard the name _Mercury Black_." I clenched my fists at my sides, Adam scowling. Neo gestured something.

"What was that?" Adam asked. Neo gestured to her mouth, then to Mercury. "Smirk... Mercury?" Neo held up two index-fingers and moved them together. "... _Smirk-cury_?"

I actually started laughing at the dumbfounded expression on Mercury's face as he gazed at Neo, who placed her hands on her hips and smiled deviously at him.

"You little... You're mute, and you can still make shitty puns?!"

" _Yes_." Adam translated for Neo, his eyebrow raised. " _And you can take those shitty nicknames and shove them up your_ \- Okay, that's where I draw the line. I'm not translating that."

"Ass?" I asked. Neo crossed her arms, smirking, and Adam looked at her disapprovingly before shook his head, sighing.

"Let's just pretend it was _ass_."

"Wait..." Mercury frowned. "What time is it?" I checked my scroll.

"Eight fifty-one. We better head out." I turned and opened the door, only to see Roman burst out of his dorm in his pajamas and run down the hall towards the bathroom as his teammates laughed at him. "... Okay, then."

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Mercury)**

Somehow, Roman managed to get himself ready in time to join us in class.

He wore the usual guy's uniform with his usual hairstyle, eyeliner, shoes, gloves, and hat. Then, for some reason, he carried around a wooden cane painted and shaped to look like his weapon. Emerald passed a note to ask him why, and we got this note in reply:

 _Some may call it style, but let me ask you: what's the difference between a good Huntsman and a GREAT Huntsman? Give up? I'll tell you... PRESENTATION!_

Emerald just rolled her eyes, balled-up the note, and threw it at his head. It hit and fell to the desks and he deadpanned lightly at her before smirking and giving a look that said _you know I'm right_.

Now, back to class. We sat at our desks, watching as...

"Listen up, you little brats." Someone walked across the stage at the front-center of the classroom. "What does it mean when you're hungover?"

"It means you're drunk, Professor Xiong." Someone answered, no one really knowing what to do. The man shook his head, wincing, then glared up at us.

"No, it means that I was drunk yesterday." He corrected, then tilted his head from side to side in thought. "But yes, I am drunk." I couldn't help but scowl as the man swung his baseball-bat-like weapon around carelessly. I hated alcoholics... "Now, kids, since you don't want to be here and I don't want to be here, let's move this along. Ahem... For starters, don't call me _Professor Xiong_. The name is _Junior_ , and anyone who laughs can leave because they've officially failed this class. Other teachers may shrug it off, but let me make something very clear: I don't take any shit from anyone. And if you don't like it, you can tell it to my bat."

" _I like this guy_." Adam translated for Neo. "Really?"

"Now, you kids have stupidly decided that you're going to go out and kill Grimm for a living." Junior continued. "You all have your own reasons, all of them moronic. Most of you are probably self-righteous pricks who have decided that you want to be the 'fairytale hero' or some bullshit like that. Some of you might have done something terrible in your life that you're trying to make up for." I saw Adam and Roman tense. I did my best not to react like they did. "Some of you might have a mean-streak and were forced to be here." Emerald gripped the desk. "Some of you may be trying to prove a point." Neo and Cinder bowed their heads, looking downcast. "And some of you may be being pushed through combat-school by their uncle because he was tired of having to spend money on all of their clothes and make-up and basic life-needs and told them to get a job and stop free-loading off of him, only to end up having to spend **MORE** money on the school for the shitty-ass profession they chose!" Junior was now glaring at Melanie and Miltia.

Miltia was heavily deadpanning, her arms crossed, and Melanie laughed nervously, closing her eyes and waving timidly.

"Love you, Uncle Hei?"

"Yeah, sure." Junior rolled his eyes. "Fail my class, and you're grounded. No make-up for three months." Melanie and Miltia's eyes widened in horror as Junior walked past, a smirking and chuckling darkly.

Okay...

Maybe this alcoholic wasn't too bad.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Emerald)**

"So, brats, to begin, I must ask... IF YOU WANT TO BE HUNTSMEN AND HUNTRESSES, WHY DIDN'T YOU LEARN ABOUT THE GRIMM BEFORE YOU CAME HERE?! I MEAN, WHY?! WHY DO WE NEED GRIMM-STUDIES AT ACADEMY-LEVEL?! SOCIETY NEEDS TO OPEN ITS EYES!"

Surprisingly, during Junior's first 'lecture', I found myself easily distracted. I was drawing in my notebook, illustrating a series of schemes I could try to use to weasel my way out of Beacon without getting caught by Salem or the cops. Not that I intended to go through with any of them, since most of them were ridiculous and suicidal.

But hey, a girl can dream...

"Hey!" Mercury elbowed my arm, grinning. "Pay attention! This is gold!"

"And that, kids, is why you should always answer an innocent-looking blonde girl who walks up to you in a bar and asks you where your coworker is!"

"Nah." I shook my head as Mercury raised his scroll and began filming. "I'll wait for the lesson to start."

"Come on, Gem!" Mercury looked at me, still grinning. "Even you have to think this is funny!"

"Me?" I raised an eyebrow. "You're the asshole on this team, not me." I dropped my pencil and crossed my arms, turning in my chair to look at my partner. "This is the first time I've even seen you smile!"

"And that's why you should never go to that bar! Seriously, the owner's a nice enough guy, but he won't shut up! And that one bodyguard of his has this weird fascination with leg-breaking!"

"Who, me? I'm not smiling!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I-!"

"Ahem." A voice spoke. Mercury and I slowly turned to see Junior deadpanning at us, his eyebrow raised. "What seems to be the problem, here?" Mercury pointed at me.

"She wouldn't pay attention to your lecture."

"Is that so?" Junior's eyes narrowed. I ripped the scroll out of Mercury's hand.

"He was filming your lecture to post on _DustTube_!"

"Hey, give that back!" Mercury grabbed for the scroll, but I held it up, grinning. Mercury growled near-ferally and tackled me, both of us fighting for the scroll while Junior sighed and rolled his eyes, the class laughing.

 ** _/\/\/\/\_**

 **(Neo)**

Adam and I watched with wide eyes as Emerald and Mercury fought, then Adam looked at me.

"We are definitely not going to last four years." He announced. I nodded in agreement.

' _Even the school won't last that long._ '

"ENOUGH!" Junior finally snapped. Emerald and Mercury stood up, Mercury smirking and holding the scroll up in triumph. "You: get down here!"

"What?!" Mercury demanded, pointing at Emerald. "She started it!"

"You filmed my lecture! Do you realize how many future students you are depriving of getting my life-lessons straight from the source?! GET DOWN HERE!"

Mercury stormed down to the stage, looking pissed off. Junior looked at him, then smirked.

"Get your combat-attire on, kid."

"... Wait, what?!"

 ** _..._**

 ** _Pfft..! HAHAHAHAHA!_**

 ** _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but that was too much, even by my standards!_**

 ** _So... Whatcha think? Good theme-song/opening-credits? How I parodied RWBY/JNPR's first day with SABR/RMMC's (with a bit more detail (let's be honest, people))?_**

 ** _I did my best. In all honestly, these first few "episodes" will be the hardest. "Volume 2" is where things will REALLY start to get interesting. After all, since there are no Silver-Eyed Warriors, who will go against the coming evil?_**

 ** _Who is the coming evil?_**

 ** _*smirk*_**

 ** _I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc._**

 ** _Thanks!_**


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